Through Thick and Thin- Diluc x (female) Reader

Chapter 26: Treasure Hoarders

I waved goodbye to Mondstadt after we finished lunch with Venti. Although Diluc seemed to be happy, I could feel that he was at least a little shaken up by the previous night. After all, he'd lost a lot of blood and was lucky to be alive, much less walking.
If the sight of all of his blood made me sick to think about, what about him? What did he think about all of this? He seemed fine, but I wondered if it was a front.
We encountered few threats on the road to the Winery. A hillichurl here or there, but nothing that wasn't easily dispatched by my bow.
"Diluc, let me try something," I said as I pulled the string back on my bow. I held it for a moment, and the tip of the arrow frosted over. Releasing the string. The arrow flew and embedded itself into the hillichurl I had aimed for, knocking it over. As the arrow sank into its chest, ice formed around its torso. "That should help me a lot if I need it."
"It looks like you won't need me to help you pick wolfhooks anymore," Diluc said, jokingly. Although there was a hidden tone disappointment.
"Eh, I don't know about that yet," I said, cheering him up. "Would suck if I found some cryo slimes, can't do much about those."
I elbowed him slightly, and he chuckled. "It seems I'll have to keep accompanying you anyways."
"I don't mind that," I said as we walked along the path. Looking to the sky, there were only a few hours of daylight left. "Hm, the day is almost over already."
Following suit, Diluc also looked up to the sky, which was beginning to turn orange. "So it seems. Will you make it back to Mondstadt before night falls?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I should. Even so, I'm positive we've finished off most of the treasure hoarders around here. There sure were a lot of them last night."
"You would be surprised," he said, smiling at me a little. "I've fought plenty, but it's almost like they're infinite. They always come back right where I've defeated them."
"That's weird," I said, raising an ear. "Why would they go back to a camp thats already been cleared? You fight them often?" Sighing, I looked around in suspicion, wondering if any where nearby. "So you've always been a thorn in their side, huh?"
Diluc nodded, turning his eyes back towards the path. "I suppose so."
"If I ran into any, I can take care of them. I have a vision and a weapon now, and they probably don't even know about my vision so I can catch them off guard," I said, putting my hand on his arm. "I probably could have taken care of them last time, but... I thought they would hurt you."
"Don't forget that they had crossbows on you as well," Diluc said, sounding a bit more serious. "If you had made any wrong moves, I doubt I would have been the one to get hurt."
I was silent as I thought that over. As much as I disliked it, he was right. I was surrounded, and if I shot they would have done so too.
When I got my vision I also noticed that I got tired less easily. My legs weren't sore at all, and we had been walking for a while. It was just a hunch, but I wondered if my vision had anything to do with it...
As we turned the corner, the large Winery loomed in the distance. I stared in awe, having never truly seen it up close. Sure, I had walked past it, but never approached it like this.
"Would you like a closer look?" Diluc asked, noticing my wonder.
"Sure," I said quietly, toning down my staring. Slightly embarrassed, my cheeks flushed a little at being caught staring at the estate.
I gazed around as we walked the path to the door, the rows of grapevines getting harder to distinguish from one another as the day slowly turned to night. I caught a glimpse of a crystalfly within the rows, but it flew away quickly.
The dirt path turned into a stone patio when we were close to the building. There were a couple chairs and tables around the outside, and winery workers were finishing up in the vineyard as we approached. I assumed the chairs and tables were for events, although I didn't know how often those happened.
As we reached the door, Diluc waved to some maids who quickly opened it for him. "You can visit the Winery whenever you'd like," he said, giving me his familiar small smile.
I nodded, stepping forward for a second. "Are you going to stay here for a while?"
"Until I've recovered, it seems so. I'll have to get Charles to manage the tavern," he turned to walk into the Winery, but then turned back again. He quickly hugged me tightly, and let me go a moment later. "Thank you."
I nodded, hugging him back. "Would it be okay for me to stop by tomorrow?"
"I would like that," he said, holding my arms gently. "I'll see you tomorrow, dear."
I melted when he called me dear again, my cheeks going red. "I'll see you tomorrow too, Diluc."

As I walked back to Mondstadt, I was only about halfway there when the sun set. The sky began to darken, and I kept my ears out as I listened for threats. Although I had a way to protect myself, I was still a little nervous without Diluc by my side.
Almost predictably, I began to hear at least three different peoples footsteps as I walked through a forested area. It reminded me of when I got robbed, and truly met Diluc instead of just walking past him in the tavern. I wondered how long it would be before he would make me some wolfhook juice again...
My ears perked as the footsteps got closer. They were quick, and trying to be quiet although not successfully. I already knew they were treasure hoarders, likely hoping to get me alone.
Unless they were at the battle, they wouldn't know about my newfound vision. Although I was outnumbered, I had the advantage and they didn't even know it.
"You! Halt!"
I stopped, turning to face them. "Are you here to rob me again?" I said, keeping my eyes on them.
As I thought, there were three of them. They held knives, so they had advantage at close range. The one on the right seemed nervous, his legs shaking slightly as he gripped the knife.
I decided I would try to keep my distance, since they couldn't do much from there.
"You! If your buddy hadn't shown up, then maybe so many of us would still be alive!" The one on the left said, gripping his knife angrily.
I turned to face them, crossing my arms. "Have you tried not kidnapping people before? I heard it works wonders."
"Don't be a smartass," the one on the left spoke again, his brows furrowed.
"Watch your mouth unless you want to die," the one in the middle pipped up. He seemed to be bigger than his friends, although it didn't matter much to me. "Although, that's what we're here for anyways."
"Oh. So... you do want to kill me?" I asked, having guessed that was the case. "I wouldn't do that. I mean, Diluc will be pretty pissed when I tell him..."
"You can't tell if you're dead!" The one on the left said, charging at me. Yeah. That's what happens when you're dead. I thought, rolling my eyes.
I drew my bow quickly, pulling back the string. Holding it for a second, the tip became coated in frost. I let it go, and it pierced right into his chest. As it did with the hillichurl, his chest became coated in frost as he fell over.
The other two hesitated, confused as to how he went down so fast. Their eyes widened when they saw the ice in his chest, and they each took a step backwards.
"A vision?" Said the one on the left. His brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, which stuck out to me for some reason. "Hey, I think we should leave for now..."
"And? She's got a vision, so what?" The big one said, taking a step forward again. "She probably doesn't even know how to properly use it yet. And she's outnumbered!"
Overconfident, the big one charged straight at me. I fired an arrow quickly, and panicked slightly when he dodged and it missed. I hadn't expected him to move so quickly, since he was so big.
As he reached me, he slashed out with his knife. Out of pure instinct, I jumped out of the way, although I was surprised to end up higher and further than I expected. I grabbed the branch of a tree that somehow ended up below me.
Did I land in a tree? I asked myself, looked down to see the treasure hoarders looking up at me suprised. I stood on the tree with my knees bent fully, one arm in the branch to steady myself and one holding the bow.
In the air where I assumed I had traveled remained rolling mist. The frost in the air disappeared quickly, leaving no trace I had even been there. This vision...
Seeing the opportunity, I pulled back the string and fired the arrow, launching it straight through the heart of the big one. I flinched slightly as he yelled out before collapsing. I had to remind myself that they had intent to kill me, and I had no other choice.
The other one turned and began to run, his eyes full of fear as he turned to make sure I wasn't chasing him. I jumped out of the tree, rolling to absorb the impact. I didn't know I could do that, either. Should I let him go? I asked myself, feeling bad for having killed his comrades.
But if I do, he'll tell his friends and they might come more prepared... The weight of the decision bounced in my brain. He was running and no longer wanted to fight, but he came there with the intention of killing me.
What do I do?